Androyed
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2011
- Posts
- 31
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- 0
Hi there!
Let me introduce myself first. I'm not an audiophile by any means. But when I buy something, I do it right. Certainly when it's a bigger investment like IEMs. When I was buying a bass guitar, I've done research on the internet for days. I'm always looking for the best "bang for the buck". So here I am, after a week of research. I've ordered the Brainwavz M2. Or actually the Chinese version, the ViSang R03, since it has a straight plug, and not a 45-degree plug (who's stupid idea was that?
).
Why am I getting new IEMs? Well, my previous IEMs are broken. I used them as a lasso. Not a good idea. I got them with my mobile phone, the Samsung Nexus S, if anyone is familiar with it. Let me tell you something about the Samsung Nexus S. Not about how great it can make phone calls, but about how FREAKIN' AMAZING the sound quality is! Like I said, I'm not an audiophile. But it is good. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S, the Nexus S uses the Wolfson WM8994 DAC. According to a guy named "supercurio", that thing has a lot of potential. If you root your phone (something like jailbreaking, but with Android phones), you can use his improvement named VooDoo Sound. And it is amazing!
More info about Voodoo Sound: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=806195
So I fell in love with the amazing sound quality of my smartphone. I don't think I will ever change phones again. How could I "just" buy mediocre IEMs with such amazing sound quality? I could not resist doing a lot of research. And the Brainwavz M2/ViSang R03 is perfect for me. I'm not a basshead, but I prefer a more "fun" sounding pair of earphones to more analytical earphones.
My quest for the ultimate sound continued. Well, not really ultimate, because I don't want to spend millions. I saw that you got a pair of foam ear tips with the ViSang R03. Foam ear tips? It opened a new world for me! I had no idea that there were different kind of ear tips, let alone that it would actually make a difference! I made the switch from "normal" earbuds to IEMs a long time ago. Never looked back. But foam ear tips? That was something new. So I did some research, again. The Comply foam ear tips seemed to be the best. I wasn't quite happy with the price though. Twenty dollar for some ear tips? While I paid only the double for the actual IEMs? And then I saw it! "http://www.head-fi.org/t/169789/homemade-foam-ear-tips-for-iems". Making your own ear tips from foam ear plugs? Cheap? Check! Awesome? Check! And that brought me here.
Damn, I talk a lot! Let's just move on to the questions. I found four types of ear plugs that I want to experiment with. The Hearos Ultimate Softness, the Howard Leight Max (or the Max Lite, since I have pretty small ear canals), the E-A-R Soft FX and the E-A-R Classic Soft.
1. I am buying the E-A-R Classic Soft because they are PVC foamies. I know that PU foamies will increase the bass, while PVC foamies will do that less. Are there any other differences between PVC and PU foam?
2. About the Hybrid ear tips that come with the ViSang R03/Brainwavz M2. What is so "hybrid" about them? The "tube" is supposed to be sturdier. Does that improve the sound, or is it only there so that the ear tips don't come off so often (it happened a lot with my previous IEMs)?
3. When looking at tubes for my homemade foam ear tips, should I look for PVC tubes (aquarium tubing), or silicone tubes, like the original ear tips have? Or does it not matter, as long as the fit is right?
4. Are there any other foam ear plugs I should look at?
5. What is the difference between the E-A-R Classic and the E-A-R Classic Soft ear plugs? They are both PVC, right (that's the only thing that really matters to me)?
6. Aren't those foam ear plugs supposed to be single-use only? For only a couple of cents I don't care about replacing them every once in a while, but I'm not going to make a new set of ear tips every day. How long can I use a set of those foam ear plugs? And can I wash them with some water? And does it really matter if you use them longer than advised? Do they only get dirty or does the quality actually become worse (does it loose its "memory" quality for example)?
7. The Howard Leight Max have the shape of a traffic cone, with a flat part at the back. Is it just better for putting them in your ears, or does the traffic cone shape have other advantages?
I might have forgotten a question or two. I will ask them later if I remember then. Thank you for your time! I hope my English didn't bother you. I'm not a native speaker!
Greetings,
Androyed
P.S.: After all those experiments, I will post the results here, together with a guide on how to make your own foam ear tips. The other threads are dead now, and I think it's time for another thread.
Let me introduce myself first. I'm not an audiophile by any means. But when I buy something, I do it right. Certainly when it's a bigger investment like IEMs. When I was buying a bass guitar, I've done research on the internet for days. I'm always looking for the best "bang for the buck". So here I am, after a week of research. I've ordered the Brainwavz M2. Or actually the Chinese version, the ViSang R03, since it has a straight plug, and not a 45-degree plug (who's stupid idea was that?
).Why am I getting new IEMs? Well, my previous IEMs are broken. I used them as a lasso. Not a good idea. I got them with my mobile phone, the Samsung Nexus S, if anyone is familiar with it. Let me tell you something about the Samsung Nexus S. Not about how great it can make phone calls, but about how FREAKIN' AMAZING the sound quality is! Like I said, I'm not an audiophile. But it is good. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S, the Nexus S uses the Wolfson WM8994 DAC. According to a guy named "supercurio", that thing has a lot of potential. If you root your phone (something like jailbreaking, but with Android phones), you can use his improvement named VooDoo Sound. And it is amazing!
More info about Voodoo Sound: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=806195
So I fell in love with the amazing sound quality of my smartphone. I don't think I will ever change phones again. How could I "just" buy mediocre IEMs with such amazing sound quality? I could not resist doing a lot of research. And the Brainwavz M2/ViSang R03 is perfect for me. I'm not a basshead, but I prefer a more "fun" sounding pair of earphones to more analytical earphones.
My quest for the ultimate sound continued. Well, not really ultimate, because I don't want to spend millions. I saw that you got a pair of foam ear tips with the ViSang R03. Foam ear tips? It opened a new world for me! I had no idea that there were different kind of ear tips, let alone that it would actually make a difference! I made the switch from "normal" earbuds to IEMs a long time ago. Never looked back. But foam ear tips? That was something new. So I did some research, again. The Comply foam ear tips seemed to be the best. I wasn't quite happy with the price though. Twenty dollar for some ear tips? While I paid only the double for the actual IEMs? And then I saw it! "http://www.head-fi.org/t/169789/homemade-foam-ear-tips-for-iems". Making your own ear tips from foam ear plugs? Cheap? Check! Awesome? Check! And that brought me here.
Damn, I talk a lot! Let's just move on to the questions. I found four types of ear plugs that I want to experiment with. The Hearos Ultimate Softness, the Howard Leight Max (or the Max Lite, since I have pretty small ear canals), the E-A-R Soft FX and the E-A-R Classic Soft.
1. I am buying the E-A-R Classic Soft because they are PVC foamies. I know that PU foamies will increase the bass, while PVC foamies will do that less. Are there any other differences between PVC and PU foam?
2. About the Hybrid ear tips that come with the ViSang R03/Brainwavz M2. What is so "hybrid" about them? The "tube" is supposed to be sturdier. Does that improve the sound, or is it only there so that the ear tips don't come off so often (it happened a lot with my previous IEMs)?
3. When looking at tubes for my homemade foam ear tips, should I look for PVC tubes (aquarium tubing), or silicone tubes, like the original ear tips have? Or does it not matter, as long as the fit is right?
4. Are there any other foam ear plugs I should look at?
5. What is the difference between the E-A-R Classic and the E-A-R Classic Soft ear plugs? They are both PVC, right (that's the only thing that really matters to me)?
6. Aren't those foam ear plugs supposed to be single-use only? For only a couple of cents I don't care about replacing them every once in a while, but I'm not going to make a new set of ear tips every day. How long can I use a set of those foam ear plugs? And can I wash them with some water? And does it really matter if you use them longer than advised? Do they only get dirty or does the quality actually become worse (does it loose its "memory" quality for example)?
7. The Howard Leight Max have the shape of a traffic cone, with a flat part at the back. Is it just better for putting them in your ears, or does the traffic cone shape have other advantages?
I might have forgotten a question or two. I will ask them later if I remember then. Thank you for your time! I hope my English didn't bother you. I'm not a native speaker!
Greetings,
Androyed
P.S.: After all those experiments, I will post the results here, together with a guide on how to make your own foam ear tips. The other threads are dead now, and I think it's time for another thread.
